Muhammad Nurul Huda

As the nation prepares to solemnly remember the gory happenings of August 15, 1975 when the emancipator of Bangalis was brutally assassinated along with most of his family members, it is only proper that the post-liberation generations, particularly the younger segment amongst them, get to know the real dimension of the towering Bangabandhu.

To this writer the expression “extra-judicial killing” is an apt illustration of the term “oxymoron”— that is, words put together which contradict each other. The expression has most likely been coined by journalists, and perhaps social scientists and rights activists, and curiously is not found in the legal lexicon. One could ask if there is actually anything like a judicial killing and if not, how could there be sense or meaning in the expression “extra-judicial killing”?

Multiple deaths occurr-ing during the ongoing anti-narcotics operations have given rise to sharp reactions. While some quarters feel that the government of the day has seized of the gravity of the drug menace, others take a very critical view by saying that the authorities have indulged in rambling actions without seriously venturing to grasp the root of the malaise and adequately punish the masterminds. Some critics would doubt the very credibility of the

The recent demonstra-tions by students demanding an end to the existing Bangladesh Civil Service quota system in the recruitment process deserve urgent attention of the government. The rationale for the introduction of the quota system had its roots in the policy for recruitment to public service that was adopted in September 1972.